Energy. Environment. Economy.

Cabot Oil and Gas to pay $99,000 for air quality violations in Susquehanna County

Scott Blanchard became StateImpact Pennsylvania’s editor in November 2017.
He had been enterprise editor at the York (Pa.) Daily Record, where he led the newsroom’s investigative and projects reporting. The team produced investigations with statewide impact on subjects including domestic violence, gun laws and clergy abuse.
Blanchard arrived in York in 2001 and helped lead national award-winning coverage of the 30-year-old York riots murders investigation. In years since, he has focused on narrative storytelling, ethics and training, with special emphasis on trauma journalism.
He was a 2013 Ochberg Fellow, receiving training at Columbia University in PTSD science, self-help and peer support. He led a team that created a trauma awareness/peer-support program in Digital First Media in 2014. Under new owner Gannett, he helped and/or led trauma awareness and peer support training at newsrooms in York, Wilmington, Del., St. Cloud, Minn., Wausau, Wisc. and Milwaukee, Wisc. as well as at the Pennsylvania Newsmedia Association in Harrisburg.
He is a past president of the Pennsylvania Society of News Editors (2015-16).
Blanchard grew up in Rockville, Md. and is a University of Missouri graduate.

Susan Phillips / StateImpact

A Cabot Oil and Gas well site in Susquehanna County.” credit=”Susan Phillips / StateImpact

Cabot Oil and Gas Corp. will pay $99,000 as part of an agreement with the state environmental protection department, which found air quality violations at natural gas well sites in Susquehanna County.

The DEP also said that for 20 wells, Cabot didn’t submit reports that are used to figure out whether the wells would be exempt from permitting requirements.

“Cabot has acknowledged these violations and taken necessary corrective measures to come into compliance,” the DEP said in a news release.

A Cabot spokesman did not return a request for comment.

The DEP said that since 2013 at various wells sites, 267 pneumatic controllers — which are automated instruments — emitted too much natural gas. Those violations, plus the failure to report on the 20 wells, led to the penalty.

The money will be paid to the DEP’s Clean Air Fund, which is used to pay for air quality programs.